Laterally Actuated Platinum-Coated Polysilicon NEM Relays.

Laterally actuated polycrystalline silicon nanoelectromechanical (NEM) relays with enhanced electrical properties are presented. Due to surface oxidation of polysilicon in room ambient conditions, the relays have a high contact resistance (>1\ \G\Omega) that requires high drain bias (3–5 V) to break through. The addition of a platinum sidewall coating reduces the on-resistance and the required drain bias to as low as 3 \k\Omega and 0.1 V, respectively. The platinum coating's stability is demonstrated by two tests: first, a contact-and-hold test where the relay passes current (\sim\!\! 1\ \mu\A) for up to 155 min and, second, a hot cycling test where the relay survives for over 10^8\ \cycles. The NEMS relays are simulated using finite-element analysis, and the models are verified against experimental tests. Furthermore, the relays are configured and tested as a 2 : 1 multiplexer to show their potential as a digital logic component. \hfill[2012-0077] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]